ICYMI: A controversial 61,000-square-foot commercial development called Aztek Cove proposed for a six-acre rural tract of Highland Road near the Country Club of Louisiana appears to be dead, at least for now, after the Parish Attorney’s Office has recommended against granting building permits to the project’s developer, businessman Nitin Kamath. The permitted use on the property changed from the time Kamath got site plan approval and applied for permits, blocking the plans. Residents from the area district Metro Councilman Chandler Loupe were not in favor of the proposed project. Daily Report has the full story.
Sky high: The Baton Rouge Metro Airport saw a 14.5% increase in departing passengers and a 12.4% rise in arriving passengers during April, compared to the same month last year. Airport officials say that’s the highest monthly year-over-year increase since 2012. About 70,580 people passed through the airport in April. Through the first four months of the year, passenger volume is up 5.4% over 2017 figures. American Airlines seated the lion’s share of passengers who traveled through the Baton Rouge airport in April, at 38.5%, while Delta was at 37.3% and United Airlines at 24.2%. Airport officials say the April rise was due to increased seating capacity due to a mix of aircraft upgrades and to larger regional jets
Ascending: Assurance Financial, a nationwide residential mortgage lending company, opened another Louisiana branch in Prairieville this week, the fifth in the Baton Rouge area and first in Ascension Parish, according to a company news release. Michael Hebert, the vice president of the Greater Baton Rouge Mortgage Lenders, will manage the new branch.
